A rare look at rare breeds

NEWPORT, R.I. — Liliana Merchant has been by the SVF Foundation many times, and always wondered what went on at the sprawling farm on Harrison Avenue.

On Saturday, she found out. She attended the foundation’s annual Visitors Day with her mother, Monica Restrepo.

“I’ve been by here so many times and never had been inside,” Merchant said. “It was really interesting to see all that they do. There’s so much more talk about eating locally grown foods, and to see the people that are on the forefront of the field and get to talk to them about what they do, that’s amazing.”

Merchant, a 2007 graduate of Rogers High School who majored in international business in college, said she planned to incorporate much of what she learned Saturday into her daily life. The first step, she said, was paying closer attention to what she eats and where it comes from.

“It’s something I’ve thought about before, but food that’s been genetically altered should have a label to tell you it’s been genetically altered,” Merchant said. “I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing or a good thing, but it’s something people should be aware of when they go to the grocery store.”

Sarah Bowley, property and livestock manager for the SVF Foundation, said insight like Merchant’s was exactly the reason the nonprofit operation holds the free open house once a year, inviting the public to see firsthand the operations at the former Swiss Village Farm.

Participation in the open house has grown over the seven years the foundation has held it, Bowley said, mainly because people seem to be more interested in what they’re eating. She said the turnout Saturday easily surpassed the 2,000 mark and likely was a record for the event.

The SVF Foundation was founded in 1999 by local philanthropist Dorrance H. Hamilton to preserve rare and endangered breeds of food and fiber livestock because of their potential resistance to disease and parasites, tolerance to heat and mothering abilities, among other factors.

“We’re only open one day a year and people have seen the revitalization of the property, so there’s a certain amount of mystique about the open house,” Bowley said. “At the same time, whenever we can get people thinking about these issues and the importance of biodiversity at a time when there’s less than ever before, that’s a good thing and we’ve accomplished our mission.”

To appeal to different age groups, the foundation offered a variety of activities, from sheep shearing to tours of the state-of-the-art laboratories. However, the animals themselves clearly were the main draw, particularly the Pineywoods cattle, an endangered strain of livestock from the southeastern part of the United States, which welcomed visitors with loud moos all day.

Bowley said while much of the work done at the SVF Foundation was high-tech, it was not difficult for most people to understand the importance of the program.

For example, Bowley said, most people are surprised to learn that 100 years ago, customers had many more options when it came to buying meat at the market.

“It would have been all regional, and not only would they have the choice of the cut of meat, but also the breed, because different breeds had different flavors,” Bowley said. “Today, for beef, 95 percent of what’s out there is Holsteins.”

Bowley said she hoped visitors armed with that knowledge would stress to their grocer — whether at a farmers market or a chain supermarket — the importance of diversity in their food.

“We get really excited every year for this day,” Bowley said. “It’s great to see everybody and people come from states and states away to share what we do and hopefully that message gets out there even more.”

Caitlin Caldwell of Warren, a veterinarian, and her husband, Stephen, attended the open house Saturday with their children to check out the animals and the high-level work going on at the SVF Foundation.

“It’s such a beautiful day and I like that our kids are interested in the animals and the world around them,” Caitlin Caldwell said. “I’d recommend the visit to anyone.”

Merchant agreed, saying the visit was her first to the SVF Foundation, but she hopes not her last.

“I felt like everywhere I looked, there was something new to learn,” Merchant said. “For someone who’s already reading up on all these subjects, it was really great to see it all firsthand. Who would have ever thought something like this was happening here?”

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